ISLAMABAD, March 17: Former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif have condemned police crackdown and operation against lawyers in Lahore on Saturday when they were holding a convention to protest against removal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry through presidential reference.

In a statement, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto also condemned the arrest of Lahore High Court Bar Association president Ahsan Bhoon, Peshawar High Court Bar Association president Atique Shah, Lahore District Bar president and a number of protesting lawyers and demanded their immediate release.

Ms Bhutto said the protesting lawyers were exercising their democratic and constitutional right to hold peaceful protest demonstration against the assault on the independence of judiciary.

It is a grave violation of the constitutional rights of the citizens to forcibly stop them from exercising their rights guaranteed in the Constitution.

She said the entire nation was with the bar and legal fraternity over the issue and no coercion or intimidation of the lawyers’ community will succeed in beating them into submission and withdrawing from their principled stand.

PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in his statement said, “I salute the lawyers for their brave and principled struggle and stand for supremacy of constitutional governance and deplore fascist tactics of Musharraf regime which it is deploying to silence the voices of civil liberties and rights. The police action against lawyers was most shameful.

“Pakistan has been plunged into its darkest hour by attack against judiciary, media, and political activists. This is a defining moment for the nation. In 21st century we can’t become a one man state. Pakistan and Pakistanis are entitled to genuine democracy. The recent events have once again proven that the country is being run through sham democracy.

“This crisis is weakening the federation. Every state institution has been made dysfunctional in the last seven years. We are heading towards collapse of institutional governance. No person and institution so free and secure.”

He criticised police crackdown on PML-N Central secretariat in Islamabad and termed it as an act of cowardice.

“The government is systematically targeting all voices of freedom to perpetuate its rule but such tactics will not weaken the resolve of PML-N leadership and workers to win back democracy for their people. PML-N is committed to bring down this unconstitutional regime through a democratic struggle and eliminate military role from politics.”

Chakwal correspondents adds: Lawyers in Chakwal Saturday observed an hour-long strike, while three of them participated in the hunger strike camp of the district bar.

Punjab Bar Council member Hassan Raza Pasha along with 30 other lawyers from the area left for Lahore to attend the lawyers convention.

Mr Pasha told Dawn that the protesting lawyers would boycott court proceedings for one hour daily, while a complete strike would be observed on March 21, the next hearing day of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry’s case.

The lawyers’ community was confident that its struggle would continue till the reinstatement of the chief justice.

Meanwhile, journalists took out a protest rally from the Chakwal Press Club on Saturday to condemn the attack on the offices of a private television channel.